Traffic police plan outbound lane closures as flows of vehicles head back to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City

For the 2026 Tet celebrations, civil servants and public employees had nine consecutive days off, from February 14 (27th of the twelfth lunar month), to Sunday, February 22 (sixth of the first lunar month).

Official statistics indicated that over 566,510 vehicles, accounting for 44.42 percent of the projected total, had returned to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City via expressways.

Officers estimated that some 708,830 more vehicles, or 55.57 percent, would continue traveling back to the two cities on Sunday.

Traffic police would plan to organize flexible lane arrangements depending on the volume of vehicles at different times of the day.

If prolonged congestion becomes likely, outbound lanes may be temporarily closed to give priority to inbound traffic.

The expressways expected to be subject to the closure include Phap Van-Cau Gie Expressway, where lanes from Hanoi toward Thanh Hoa Province may be temporarily closed, and Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway, where traffic from the southern metropolis toward Long Thanh could be suspended.

Also, traffic police may block lanes from Ho Chi Minh City toward Trung Luong along Ho Chi Minh City-Trung Luong-My Thuan Expressway.

The Traffic Police Department urged commuters to strictly follow traffic instructions and comply with on-site officers directing vehicles along the expressways to ensure safety and minimize disruptions during the peak return period.